How successful is J. Crew Factory? Pretty successful. Successful enough that J. Crew is looking to replicate that success with something called “J. Crew Mercantile”… which would be a new diffusion brand with brick & mortar locations, not limited to outlet malls:

With J. Crew Mercantile, the chain will offer merchandise and prices that are similar to its J. Crew Factory outlet selection – Bloomberg.com

Wait, so… they’re going to make a brand that’s less expensive than J. Crew, even though they already have Factory, and give this new brand (called “J. Crew Mercantile”) a standard mall presence even though malls are struggling, the web is going gangbusters, and Factory is already online?

Huh.

Well anywhodiddly… at least Factory is running a free shipping no min. + 30% off sale with the code FIESTA through today. 30% is okay… not great for JCF, but it’s the free shipping no min. that helps. That’s an extra $5 off if you’re just getting something cheap… and those savings are a pretty big % off depending on the price of the item. Off we go…

Yeah, not as cheap as something you’d get from Mossimo, but awfully close with this sale. About as low as this one has gone in a while. Has the potential to become a quick favorite. Super soft cotton, lighterweight fabric that breathes well, and a chest pocket for some visual (and functional) interest.

That’s quite a price range for three pairs of Bedford pants. Too bad the Oxford cloth isn’t available in anything but the “bright ember” which looks awfully… pink. But hey, some of you guys can totally pull off pink pants. First two are slim fit, the cotton linen is a more standard straight fit.

As summery as a sweater can get. Lots of natucial stuff going on here, with the rope toggles & shawl collar. All cotton. The kind of thing that’d actually look right with shorts if you throw it on after the sun sets.

Ah. That pucker. Seersucker’s “pucker” helps keep you cool by keeping the cloth from universally resting on your skin. That allows for air channels to develop, and thus, ventilation. That, and some guys just like the super-summery look it has. Available in the saturated navy pictured here, as well as a couple other options.

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Comment Rules: Write only what you’d say to a person’s face. Keep it civil and when you disagree, propose an alternative. Thank you for adding to the conversation.

Walt

There is also a linen blazer in standard SML sizing

Officer Rex Bishop

JCF should change their tagline from “It’s your stylish little secret” to “Doing our best to keep Rex Bishop from making his car payment.”

beatle

I have that tie. Works well with their corded cotton Thompson suit. The Bedford pant is a pretty good deal. They’re usually in the mid-30s when on sale.

Gerard Pitpitan

Not bad. Going to wait for another 50 percent off sale to snag that linen blaze I’ve been eying forever.

Marshall Lilly

I love pairing OCBDs like that with shorts and canvas sneakers in the summer. Getting several different colors in each will get you a ton of different combinations.

pierrot

Speaking of which I was in a factory store last week and the suit on display seemed different from from the Thompson I’ve gotten from the site, the tags were definitely different inside and it seemed slimmer. Anyone heard of such a thing?

Patrick Patro Lind Lino

FWIW I picked up that JCF Seersucker Blazer for $95 including tax in store. For $100 that jacket is a steal and is much less “stiff” than their wool or tweed options. Totally worth the price and it fits exceptionally well (for me).

Vince O.

How do you guys feel about the broken-in slim chinos? Worth the plunge? Are they comparable to Gap’s lived-in slims at least?

TominDC

I’m really tempted by the cotton/linen pants.

I wish they listed the percentages.

Philip

I picked up that belt last year and it’s a staple as soon as it gets warmer and almost exclusively the only belt worn with shorts, great pick.

Jake

They are my favorite pair of pants that I own right now.

TJ

Does anybody know how those cotton/linen pants are vs the br ones that were mentioned last week?

andrew

They’re a work day staple for me. GAP slim fit just doesn’t seem to work for me. Haven’t tried the chinos, but any 5 pocket style is too low rise and feels loose in the top block, but way too tight in the legs.

Officer Rex Bishop

They are pretty helpful on the phone, worth a shot.

bryclops

I got a leather belt and the woven navy cotton belt, and both have warped considerably after very little wear. Good to hear JCF can put out a decent belt, because I’m 0 for 2.

beatle

I didn’t try on the BR pants, but I tried on a pair of these. They felt pretty nice (nice enough that I just ordered a pair.) I want to say the blend is close to 50/50.

Brandon

If they don’t make 46L jacket and 34L or unhemmed pants I’ll be saving money

DoctorDan

Joe, that Slim Pocket Tee looks like a good slim fit. What size are you wearing?

http://dappered.com Joe

That’s a medium, and yep, it’s good through the sides on my frame.

Duken

I bought the OCBD from JCF and the material is way worse than Bonobos, I know that makes the price difference but I’m returning them and wait for a sale of the Bonobos shirt

pierrot

is 2.5 too slim now?

Officer Rex Bishop

To me that’s one of those things that falls under “99% of the people you meet won’t notice.”

BJ McGeever

Depends on your body size/type.

Adam

Did the tag say Thompson?

Adam

The fabric is different from the mainline JC OCBD as well. I didn’t like the fabric or the smaller collars on the JCF version.

Adam

Most people still think skinny ties are “in” anyways.

PMMP

I got what appears to be basically the same type of pant last year, and I am very happy with it – enough cotton where it can maintain a crease when I want, but in a breeze the linen really showed. Just picked up one in each color, hopefully they will be a similar ratio.

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